


Winning Rodney

by Jantique



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Episode: s01e19 Sanctuary, Established Relationship, First Time, M/M, Partner Betrayal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-19
Updated: 2011-08-19
Packaged: 2017-10-22 20:23:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/242218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jantique/pseuds/Jantique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When John shatters Rodney's heart, can Radek pick up the pieces?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winning Rodney

**Author's Note:**

> Czech translations at the end of the story. You'll need them!

Rodney never saw it coming.

After John came back from Proculus, they avoided each other for the rest of the day. Rodney was furious at John's blatant flirting with Chaya Sar. Did they or did they not have a Committed Relationship? (He thought the capitals.) Oh, he'd forgive John—eventually—but it was going to take a lot of groveling.

Rodney hid in his lab for a while, but then thought that he should be available for said groveling. So he knocked off fairly early and worked in his room. Eventually there was a knock on the door. Rodney cheerfully sang out, "Come in!"

John entered just enough for the door to close behind him, then stood there, shuffling his feet. This was promising, Rodney thought. He smirked. "Come to beg forgiveness?"

"Um." John scratched his face. "Listen, Rodney, you know last night—when I walked Chaya to her room, and you called me Kirk and all that—you know that nothing HAPPENED between us then, right?"

Rodney snorted. "D'oh, Don Juan, of _course_ nothing, as you say, ‘happened’—that's why you're still alive today. But you flirted with her all over Atlantis, and it—" _it hurt_ , but he would never say that—"it was totally inappropriate."

"Right. You're right. Well, the thing is, when I went back to Proculus, um, she destroyed all the Wraith ships, it was awesome, and then we, umm. . . ."

"And then you WHAT?"

"I don't know how to describe it. It was personal, uh, intimate."

Rodney's voice was flat. "You had sex with her."

"No! Not exactly." Seeing that Rodney was about to erupt, he hastily added, "She turned all glowy, not human, and we ... kind of melded. It was kinda cool. Like ... we blended. I've never felt that close to anyone."

"You had ALIEN SEX!" Rodney was screaming now, but he didn't care. "You're supposed to be with me—remember ME, your lover?—and you had ‘cool’ ALIEN SEX!"

John bit his lip. This was not going well. "Look, Rodney, you know I care about you—"

"BULLSHIT you care about me! I was just a buddy-fuck, wasn't I? A quick relief for sexual tension! You could have been honest; you could have told me!" Rodney was enraged. "Get out, just get out!"

John tried to placate him. "Look, it's over between us; I'll never see her again."

"I've got news for you, Casanova, you'll never see me again either! Well, of course, you'll see me, work and all that, but you'll never get into my bed again! Count on it! Now get out!" His eyes blazed.

John got, shuddering at the sound of something heavy hitting the still-closing door.

~:~

After several rebuffs, John stopped trying, and stayed as professional as he could. Rodney threw himself into his work, but was strangely quiet, barking at his subordinates only when necessary. Everyone noticed the change. People were a little concerned, but most didn't know him very well, and figured quiet was all for the best. Radek Zelenka was worried. Finally, he approached McKay.

"Rodney, it is time for lunch."

"Yes, yes, can't you see I'm busy?"

"Rodney, it is three o'clock. You need to eat. So do I."

Rodney looked up. Well. No wonder he was so hungry. "Look, Zelazny, if you're going to the mess hall, just bring me back a sandwich or something, will you? And coffee."

Radek sighed. "No, Rodney, you made rule, no food in lab, remember? Of course, this does not apply to you. But as leader, you must set good example."

Hmm. Rodney considered this. Zarinka could be right. "Oh, very well. Let's go."

Once he had food on his plate, though, Rodney mostly pushed it around, very little actually going in his mouth. Radek said quietly, "Rodney, it is obvious something troubles you. Can you tell me?"

Rodney was startled. "What? No, no, it's nothing. I'm fine."

Radek shook his head. "No, Rodney, you are not fine. I am your friend. Let me help."

Friend. John had been his friend. Could he trust another one? Rodney looked around. This late, the mess hall was nearly deserted, and there was no one near them.

"Okay, look, maybe I'm not actually _fine_ , but I will be. A small matter of personal betrayal, that's all. I'll get over it."

"Did Major Sheppard hurt you? _Pes! Je mizera!_ Do not think about him—he is not worth it!"

Excellent advice, Rodney agreed. He'd been trying to do just that, with a stunning lack of success.

Radek plowed ahead. "You are busy tonight? No? Good. We can play chess. I will come to your room."

"But we usually play in the—"

"And I will bring present." He smiled. "The last bottle of vodka in Atlantis!"

McKay detested vodka. It reminded him of Siberia. But this was Atlantis, and booze was booze. Really, Radek had a very _friendly_ smile. And it would take his mind off what's-his-name.

Radek knew he could never compete with John Sheppard, who was tall, good-looking and a math genius in his own right. But Sheppard was a _nevychovanec_ and was, however temporarily, out of the picture. There was a window of opportunity, and Radek Zelenka meant to dive right through it.

~:~

Radek considered the evening a total success. They played chess, and Radek let Rodney almost win. They drank Black Russians, and Rodney, once sufficiently primed, disclosed the gruesome details of the ALIEN SEX! Radek agreed that Sheppard was a _cizoložník_ and yes, a _zurivý pes_ , a rabid dog and no, he didn't deserve Rodney. Who would be lovable even without his genius. Rodney looked up sharply at this—he had long believed that he was _nothing_ without his genius. But Radek insisted that Rodney was desirable and any man in the city would be lucky to have him. Really, Rodney thought muzzily, Zalaska was a true friend.

When Rodney inevitably passed out, Radek pulled off his shoes and tucked him in, leaving with the remains of the vodka. It was a good first step, and he had, as you say, his foot in the door. Radek now applied his sane, brilliant, and ruthlessly practical mind to making his way into Rodney McKay's pants.

  
~:~

  
The next day, Major Sheppard was walking through the one of the labs when he heard what sounded like "bad penny" muttered under someone's breath. He looked around and saw a pair of legs sticking out from under a console. "Excuse me? Were you talking to me?"

Zelenka emerged. "Major Sheppard, I was just thinking about you!"

"Oh hi, Doc. So what did you say, again?"

Radek grinned brilliantly. " _Bezcenný_. Is translation of "shepherd" in Czech. Your name."

"Say it again?"

" _Bezcenný_ ," he carefully enunciated.

" _Bezcenný_ ," Sheppard repeated. "Well, thanks. That's kinda cool. See you later!"

See, John happily thought to himself, just because he wasn't a linguistics major didn't mean he couldn't learn new words and make friends. Dr. Zelenka really had a very nice smile.

~:~

Radek wooed Rodney, though the latter didn't know it. He brought him coffee, dragged him to meals. He cheated in Rodney's favor at chess, and took him for long walks around the piers. And, as always, he matched Rodney's mind in physics, trading off at finishing each other's sentences.

One day, looking over Radek's work, Rodney casually said, "Good work, Zelenka." Radek didn't know which startled him more, the compliment or McKay's getting his name right. "You know my name!" he exclaimed.

"D'oh, genius here!" Rodney tossed off. But Radek was touched, because he knew Rodney had made the effort to learn it. Maybe, just maybe, things were moving in the right direction.

~:~

AG-1 suffered, of course. John missed the good old days, when he and Rodney used to argue about anything and everything under the sun. Now he gave orders, and either McKay obeyed them or he didn't, but they didn't have the give-and-take. Ford seemed to appreciate the quieter McKay, but Teyla kept pestering John to make things right with Rodney. And after the bad missions, when he needed to drown himself in someone else, just to have human comfort, he was alone. He'd really thought that Rodney would have a hissy fit and then get OVER it. He'd never expected it to go on this long. Rodney must be lonely, too. John decided to give it one more try.

They'd just had a mediocre mission—basically, it was a bust, but no one died, which you gave points for in Pegasus. They'd showered, debriefed, gone their separate ways. And John was alone again.

It was 2300 hours when he made his way to McKay's quarters. He knocked, to no answer. He knew Rodney wasn't in his lab, because he'd already swung by there. He knocked again and waited. Finally, he decided to bust in. Either Rodney wasn't home, in which case he'd wait, or he was, and would be glad to see him. Eventually. The door was locked, but John's natural ATA gene had the override.

There was, he discovered, a reason Rodney hadn't answered the door. Rodney was lying prone on his bed, shirt off, while Radek gave him a massage. From Rodney's moans, he was having a very good time. His head was turned away.

"Mmm, yes, right th—don't stop!"

Zelenka said carefully, "Rodney, you have company."

"Well, tell them to go aw—" he finished rolling as he spoke. "Oh, it's you. Ever hear of knocking?" He sat up and glared at Sheppard.

John shrugged. "I knocked. You didn't answer."

"So you just break down the door? Typical military goon!"

Radek said nervously, "Maybe I should go."

John started to nod yes, but Rodney shouted, "No! You're not going anywhere. Listen, Major, I'm having a private moment here with my lover and you are not welcome!"

There was a quick chorus of "Lover?!!"

"Well ... almost. As soon as I work up my nerve." He jerked his head sideways. He couldn't meet Radek's eyes.

Radek smiled shyly. "Rodney, _miláčku_ , you do not need to work up nerve with me."

"Oh. Really?"

Radek cupped his hand around Rodney's head and turned it to face him. "Really." They gazed into each other's eyes for a minute, then came closer until their lips met—

At that moment, John Sheppard could take no more. He fled.

But Rodney and Radek never noticed he was gone.

END

**Author's Note:**

> CZECH:  
> Pes = dog.  
> Zurivý= rabid.  
> Je mizera = he is a bad lot ( also, mther-fckr).  
> Nevychovanec = lout, clown.  
> Bezcenný = chicken-shit.  
> Ovcák = shepherd.  
> Cizoložník = adulterer.  
> Miláčku – lover, boyfriend.
> 
> "the sane, brilliant, and ruthlessly practical mind of Radek Zelenka"—from "Later On", by Springwoof


End file.
